When I was a new Catholic and soon to be confirmed in a huge adult confirmation at The Cathedral in St Paul along with my parents and a number of my 10 siblings...

I was contemplating my saints name.... I was in nursing school and the fact that St Luke was a physician was appealing to me... I thought that it made sense for a nurse to pick a saint that was related to medicine.  I also appreciated all the ways the I got to know and fall in love with Mary in his Gospel.  He writes about Mary much more than the others and also he speaks more about women than the other Gospels.  In morning and evening prayers we say the canticle of Zechariah and in evening prayers we say the Canticle of Mary - "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant..."  How wonderful and beautiful is the Magnificat and I don't mean the book we use for prayer and mass...I mean the amazing prayer of Mary... out of Love for her God and the miracle that He is working within her humble body!  St Luke's Gospel is amazing, and I totally fell in love with him through his words there and in the Acts too!  So that decided it for me... St Luke would be my patron saint as I joined the Catholic Church with my entire family at age 20... all 13 of us received our first communion, and then those old enough were confirmed at a huge adult confirmation at the Cathedral in St Paul and I became at that time... Barbara Lynn Luke Cross... 

It was a powerful day for me as I saw the Bishop lay hands on both of my parents ahead of me, and ask for the Holy Spirit to come and dwell in them.  Also my sisters younger than I and a brother...  We had experienced the Charismatic movement, and been baptized in the Holy Spirit in a Episopalian Church in Detriot, so the Holy Spirit was not new to us, but the fact that the Catholic Church had it as a sacrament for all that were becoming full members as a adults was exciting and I thought to myself; "The Catholic Church has it all!"  "They have it all figured out in a beautiful and powerful way !"  And to experience all this in the amazing setting of powerful beauty and glory to new eyes to the Catholic Church - if you have seen ST Paul Cathedral, you know what I am talking about... and putting yourself in my shoes... being a Protestant where there are no statues and the cross is without his body and blood and the reality of his death is not paid attention to... I fell madly in love with my Catholic Church, and have remained that way ever since... without ever a waver or doubt!  It is a total LOVE STORY! 

I had been sitting in adoration last week and sat further back than ususal...I looked over to study the window by me as I knew it was the one of my patron saint... ST Luke.  I had to chuckle to myself, because for the first time it really registered that his symbol is the ox or bull... how appropriate is that for me as a farmer's wife with our beef animals, and the fact that we have bulls out in the pastures with our cows...  I have always noticed that the 4 evangelists that wrote the 4 Gospels - Matthew - a man or angel, Mark - a lion, Luke - a bull, and John - an eagle... I wondered what these meant, so I just googled it and this is what I found out.  I am including all 4, because I think that it is interesting and I will no longer look at the windows of the 4 evangelists the same...  I was especially touched by St Luke's... as it speaks of the sacrifice we are all called to in our Christian life!  Lord, help me to be a servant and to give of myself  without counting the cost!  Jesus I trust in You!  Amen and Halleluia! 

Matthew the Evangelist, the author of the first gospel account is symbolized by an winged man or angel. Matthew's gospel starts with Jesus' genealogy from Abraham; it represents Jesus' Incarnation, and so Christ's human nature. This signifies that Christians should use their reason for salvation.[citation needed]


Mark the Evangelist, the author of the second gospel account is symbolized by a winged lion - a figure of courage and monarchy. Mark has John the Baptist preaching "like a lion roaring" at the beginning of his Gospel. It also represents Jesus' Resurrection (because lions were believed to sleep with open eyes, a comparison with Christ in the tomb), and Christ as king. This signifies that Christians should be courageous on the path of salvation.[citation needed]

Luke the Evangelist, the author of the third gospel account (and the Acts of the Apostles) is symbolized by a winged ox or bull - a figure of sacrifice, service and strength. Luke's account begins with the duties of Zacharias in the temple; it represents Jesus' sacrifice in His Passion and Crucifixion, as well as Christ being High priest (this also represents Mary's obedience). The ox signifies that Christians should be prepared to sacrifice themselves in following Christ.[citation needed]

John the Evangelist, the author of the fourth gospel account is symbolized by an eagle - a figure of the sky, and believed to be able to look straight into the sun. John starts with an eternal overview of Jesus the Logos and goes on to describe many things with a "higher" level than the other three (synoptic) gospels; it represents Jesus' Ascension, and Christ's divine nature. This represents that Christians should look on eternity without flinching as they journey towards their goal of union with God.[citation